Geology of North Macedonia


Macedonia is a predominantly mountainous country, 80% of the country consists of hills and mountains. The country is divided into two groups of mountains, the Šar Mountains in the west, which are the continuation of the Dinarides, and the Osogovo-Belasica mountains in the east which is the westernmost section of the Rila-Rhodope Mountains. About 10 % of North Macedonia are areas of karstified limestone, so there are plenty of caves. There are almost 500 caves in the cadastre, but only two are show caves, and two others are rather easy to visit. The main reason is probably that the country is rather poor and tourism is rather low, because it is not on the main tourist routes. The caves are not very well explored, in other words, there is potential for further research. Very common are cave churches in North Macedonia, especially around lake Ohrid.